Creating and Enacting a Year-Long Curriculum-The Last Algonquin 8-26-16
Frustration
I had been teaching a class entitled “Emergent Curriculum” for over ten years at Sarah Lawrence College to Graduate Students in who wished to be certified for N-6 Early Childhood/Elementary Education, focusing on the subject matter of Social Studies and the Arts. Two years ago I became responsible for the science aspect of the course which meant I taught Emergent Curriculum for a full year.
Some of the big ideas I touched upon was the importance of craft in art (pottery, knitting, doll making), the unpacking of the “beginning:” of American History (A look at primary documents surrounding the Thanksgiving Holiday, including films from the PBS series “We Shall Remain,” and a day-long trip to Plimoth Plantation), and an investigation of water (participating in “The Day in the Life on the Hudson River,” asking students to bring water from where they had their winter holiday, and testing water for its salinity and Ph while also looking for organisms under a microscope).
These experiences appeared to be valuable to the students and they connected well to theoretical ideas that we were reading about in assigned articles and books. But I was growing frustrated and stuck. In my mind, these activities were not as connected and rooted as I would have liked. I especially was tired of doing the Thanksgiving Study, and Plimoth Plantation appeared to be changing and becoming a place I was not sure I wanted my students to visit. Wasn’t there a way I could stay closer to home and help students uncover the Native American presence on the soil that they walked? Wasn’t there a way I could connect the art we were exploring to nature? Wasn’t there a way to investigate the bodies of water that were right here in the New York and Yonkers area? And, wasn’t there a way to create a year long study for my Graduate Education Students that would bridge all of these pieces in a way that was meaningful and holistic?
Inspiration
My husband, EJ McAdams, had shown me a book a few years ago called “The Last Algonquin” by Theodore D. Kazmiroff. I vaguely remembered this story of a boy who met a Native American at what is now Orchard Beach. In July, after my summer class was ended and I had some time, I pulled the book off of the shelf and brought it with me on my vacation to see family in the Mid-West.
The book was riveting, and I sped through it. I began to see that there were several themes that ran alongside the book that connected to big ideas in Social Studies, in Environmental Science, and even in the arts. I spoke with friends and family about the book, which helped me open up more ideas and see more connections. I let the book come along with me, and slowly the purpose of it revealed itself.
When I returned from the long Mid-West trip, I decided it was time to get serious. I bought a large journal to begin putting ideas in, and also colored plastic adhesive tabs to mark parts of the book that could lead to activities. I found to my delight that most chapters in the book could be “lived through,” and experienced, albeit in a different time. We could visit Orchard Beach, The Museum of Natural History, The Museum of the American Indian, and Historic Richmondtown in Staten Island. I had no idea what the students and I would find in these places, but in these first strokes these trips seemed to make sense.
I also looked over the maps of Pelham Bay, and of the Islands that are featured in the beginning of the story; Hunter Island, Twin Islands, and Two Tree Island. Figuring out where these islands are now was difficult to see on a map. How would I be able to share them with my students if I had no grasp of the land forms, past and present?
The story of Joe Two Trees includes a mythic heroes journey away from home which ends with a return to home. I looked at the map of Joe Two Trees Travels, and realized that the students and I could take the same journey over the entire year, beginning and ending on Hunter Island in the Bronx. But some of the places that I wanted to experience, such as Hells Gate, or canoeing on the Hudson River, I had no idea how to set up.
I met with Victoria Garufi, the Education Director at CURB (The Center for the Urban River at Beczak) and shared my plan with her. She immediately was able to come up with the Yonkers Rowing Club on the Hudson River, which owns a “War Canoe” which can hold up to 15 people, and a Sea Capitan who runs charter boats in and out of City Island. Vicky also suggested that I consider working with some Nature-Based artist educators from Strawtown Studio.
From this meeting and my own brainstorming, I created a Map of trips that would follow the year, which connected directly to pages from the story, “The Last Algonquin.” I also came up with some big questions that I felt might help ground the study for myself and for my students:
1. What is the History of the Land we stand on?
2. What was life like 100 years ago, 200 years ago, 300 years ago?
3. How do we live ethically, with the knowledge that, for most of us, our ancestors either took this land from its first inhabitants or have benefitted from that act?
4. What can we learn from hearing stories from multiple perspectives?
5. Is The Last Algonquin a true story? (Why) Does this matter?
6. Can a story be a structure, a start, and/or a map for a year long curriculum?
What follows is a diary of sorts, using photographs and text, in order to chart the way this curriculum unfolded over the Fall Semester of 2015, and what my students and I learned in the process:
September 4th, 2015 – Visit to the Museum of the American Indian, Battery Park City, Manhattan
I decided that the first place to visit was the Museum of the American Indian in Manhattan. After going through security, I went to the information desk to see if I could visit the research center, which I had visited before when I had designed my Thanksgiving curriculum. I was told that the research center was no longer there. After explaining my reason for visiting, the Education Director was suggested and her number was given to me. Surprisingly, I found out that the main collection in the museum was from a white collector, and there were no artifacts from the Native Americans who had once lived in Manhattan. Disappointed, I went through the main exhibit, but was soon awed by the range and artistry of the works on display. Perhaps this museum could be useful in order for my students to see the breath of past and present artwork of the indigenous peoples of the Americas. On my way out I stopped in the bookstore, and found a wonderful section of books. I bought many of them. The Last Algonquin was not on these shelves, and this gave me pause.
The book that stood out to me, and that soon followed me back and forth to work in my bag alongside The Last Algonquin, as well as read to my students was Native New Yorkers: The Legacy of the Algonquin People of New York by Evan T. Pritchard. The first three lines of the introduction touched on both the personal and the professional.
“Native New Yorkers is a book for readers who love New York. It is also for those who posses a deep and abiding interest in Native American Tradition, whether by birthright or passion. These two subjects seem to lie at the extreme opposite poles of the universe, yet they have co-existed for centuries.” (Pritchard, p 1, 2002)
Learning that Evan T. Pritchard was a descendant of the Micmac people (part of the Algonquian Nations), I realized that for the first time in my search that I had encountered a Native American voice. This brought up a desire to connect with the New York American Indian community. It also brought forward the nagging worry that my study would be seen as offensive in the eyes of Evan Pritchard and others. My initial objective of visiting the museum was to get the museum’s take on Katzmiroff and to find a connection to the Native Americans who had resided in Manhattan through objects. The museum did not give me any of these answers directly. I would have to keep searching.
I visited two more places, The Bronx Museum of Art and the Museum of Natural History. At the Bronx museum I attended a lecture where a Bronx historian was presenting his book about the Bronx. In this bookstore I was able to buy several texts that spoke to the history and population of the borough. The historian knew Katzmiroff Sr. and said that he learned how to give tours from him. He did not believe that The Last Algonquin was a true text, and there was a warning in his eyes when I mentioned it. At the Museum of Natural History I visited the “Woodlands Indians” exhibit, and was similarly disappointed at the lack of artifacts that came from New York City. The displays seemed so cold and uninviting. Was there a place that had original artifacts from New York City that would be more inviting to children?
September 16th, 2015 – Consultation with Mike Feller, Orchard Beach, Bronx
Early in the morning I drove, as instructed, to the ‘north east’ corner of the parking lot at Orchard Beach. It was a warm mild morning. A few minutes later I was met by Mike Feller, NYC naturalist extraordinare. I had hired him as a consultant to help me understand more about the land that Joe Two Trees called home, and also to talk about the study I was undertaking. I learned a huge amount of information in the two hours we spent together walking on the land, and I was constantly writing in my notebook and taking photos.
Mike took me on two hikes-one that went from Hunter Island to Twin Island, and another that went along the Katzmiroff Nature Trail.
On our first hike Mike pointed out Gama grass (left) that was very likely the ancestor of present day corn.
As we walked along the path I asked whether there might be trees that are standing now that could have been present hundreds of years ago. This led Mike to discuss the idea of “Old Growth Forests,” which are not what they appear to be, as forests are always in the process of change.
However, Mike did point out a tree that likely had been there during Joe Two Trees lifetime, and perhaps that of his father and grandfather.
This is a Post Oak Tree, at least 250 years old, and one of the oldest native trees in New York City.
Mike pointed out the causeway between Hunter and Twin Island, mentioning that it was not walkable. Then, due to the low tide, we were able walk on a path right to Twin Island. There Mike noticed deer tracks. He had not seen these in a long while.
On Twin Island, Mike pointed out two plants. On the top are invasive fragmites behaving like native plants, due to the tide waters. On the bottom is Jimson Weed, a hallucinogenic night shade related to the eggplant, named Jimson after the story of British Soldiers eating the plants and then behaving strangely in Jamestown, VA.
Again, because of the low tides, we were able to walk onto the other Twin Island. The sign that Mike is standing on is not accurate, as Two Tree Island, the Island Joe was named after, is the island beyond.
It was in this spot that Mike Feller talked about the book, The Last Algonquin, and the doubts that Kazimiroff Sr. actually met an Algonquian Indian in this place. Mike’s proof of this was that all of the scholars and friends of Kazimiroff Sr. never heard him speak of meeting Joe Two Trees.
Mike mused, “Perhaps Kazimiroff Jr. was channeling the Zeitgeist of the 1970’s” He mentioned the famous commercial of the “crying Indian,” as an example.
We walked on this small island, and at the other side had a view of the real Two Tree Island. It was a spectacular day with quiet calm waters, and you could hear the gentle clangs of the buoys.
It was in this place that Mike gave me a short lecture on the geologic forces that formed New York City. In this location you could see the forces of the New England schist and the Manhattan Schist banging against each other. I was amazed to hear that New York City is the meeting place between the Northern and Southern rock formations. No wonder New York City is such a meeting place!
We walked back over to the Twin Islands, and then out through a marsh to the Nature Center. A walk back to the Parking lot brought us to a second hike- The Katzmiroff Nature Trail. Mike was running out of time but agreed to show me a spot where I could bring my class on our first trip.
We walked down the path and Mike took the first right turn, and showed me a middens of shells that was most probably a refuse pile of the Native American people who had come here to fish and eat clam shells. I made sure to mark this spot in my mind and bring my students here.
Mike also mentioned that there was professor at Brooklyn College, an Archeologist, who was leading a dig on another part of Orchard Beach. He though that perhaps my class would like to visit this spot and meet the professor. I found this interesting, but also a little troubling. Katzmiroff Sr. spent a great amount of his life digging up Native American bones and gravesites. What would present day American Indians think about this practice today?
A little further on Mike brought me to a spot on Hunter Island at the beginning of the causeway to Twin Island. Here there was a wonderful view of the water, Twin Island, and just beyond, Two Trees Island. I had found the place to bring my class and introduce them to The Last Algonquin.
September 21st, 2015 – Class at Orchard Beach
The class of 9 students loaded up into a campus van, and we drove 15 minutes to arrive at the Orchard Beach Parking lot. Vicky Garufi from CURB joined us.
We walked down the Ted Kazmiroff Sr Nature Trail, and I showed them the shell middens. Students walked further out to the water to take pictures.
On the rocks I read some passages from Native New Yorkers and then we took turns reading the beginning of The Last Algonquin. Students took measurements of the water & soil temperature, and looked for life in the water.
I took a small group through the whole nature trail, which had wonderful views of the water and plant life. When we entered the parking lot, one of my students expressed wonder that the parking lot used to be water long ago.
As we drove back I asked the students to sketch what they had seen during the trip. The students worked silently, and gave me their drawings as they exited.
May 4th, 2016 – Final Trip to Orchard Beach
The students and I gathered at the back of our building at 12:45pm. It was a cold and misty afternoon, with rain threatening. I asked the students to bring their books, and dress warm.
We arrived in the Orchard Beach Parking lot a few minutes after 1:00. Mike Feller walked up to us from Hunter Island. As we unloaded, Mike went to his car and brought a book for me, a memoir. Clifton Matias then drove up in the RedHawk Council’s white 15 passenger van. In a circle, the students introduced themselves and talked about what experience was most meaningful to them during the year. Mike led us onto Hunter Island, which was a few steps from the parking lot.
He showed us where the real Island began, and spoke about the creation of Orchard Beach in the 1930’s, which meant filling in the large bay that was there before. The parking lot had originally been water. He showed us some native flowers, poison ivy that was on the ground and winding on a tree. A student asked about some flowering plant, and Mike picked it and had the students smell its oniony scent. Cliff began to say something, and we stopped to listen. He said that his people would not pick something just to smell it or look at it, and would thank the plant before taking it out of the ground.
Mike moved up ahead, and I walked with Cliff explaining the book, and the tribe that Joe Two Trees had come from. I found the chapter in the second book Ted Katzmiroff had written which included a chapter from (artist) which said that Joe Two Trees had come from the Wappinger. Mike stopped and asked the students what a certain ground cover might be. After some discussion it was revealed that these were daylillys, remnants of the Hunter Estate. They rarely bloomed because of the shade of the trees above.
At the top of the hill one of the students asked about a small red building. Mike said that this was now a Parks Department shed, but originally it had been a hot dog stand that was in operation when Orchard Beach was at its height. I noticed a London Plane Tree, looking odd in the natural landscape, and Mike said that this was also planted during the creation of Orchard Beach-Robert Moses loved London Planes. Some Osprey were spied flying above, and we began to walk down the hill. There Mike stopped us to look at a huge tree-a tulip tree that was mentioned in the Last Algonquin as the tree the Joe Two Trees used to make his canoe. Mike alluded that this large old tree perhaps was there when the Hunter plantation was created and was left alone in a field to grow. Down the hill, a student asked about a vine winding around a tree. Mike said that it was an invasive bittersweet vine, and that left alone it would kill the native trees in the forest. Cliff was next to me, and I could not feel as if the metaphor of the bittersweet vine was a part of our american history, for both native people and native plants. I shared this with Cliff.
Mike spied a bird up ahead, a red wing blackbird. Students mused on the phenomenon of the decoration and color on Male species and the muted colors of females. There was a discussion on the energy that it takes to produce color, and also how the brighter a robin’s blue egg, the more the male will pay attention to it.
We began to see the water ahead, and the wind kicked up. Standing on rocks we saw Two Trees Island and Twin Island, which I pointed out. I could see at least two small trees working their way through the soil of the island. It was too blustery to stay too long. Back on the trail we passed the old roadway, and Mike showed us the causeway. Cliff and I walked in the lead and Cliff talked about water, and how Native People believe that the cleanliness of the water is directly related to the health of the women, and how women often begin water ceremonies. The tide was receding, and the students pointed out some clumps of grass in the mud which looked like chia pets. Mike said that seeing that in the bay was an effect of global warming, as the level of the water is increasing by 2-3cm a year, having an effect on plant life. Then one of the students noticed a robins nest, just on the side of the path. Inside was a blue egg. Mike asked us to move away because it was a cold day and the robin would need to keep the egg warm. The students took several pictures on their phones.
We walked to the beach to head onto Twin Island.
(to be continued…!)